Heart Morass

Heart Morass is a great birding site, close to Sale. Though I didn't manage to get any good shots we saw yellow billed spoonbills - quite different to the royal spoonbills we see at Venus Bay. They were in a tree, living comfortably with the cormorants and pelicans...

 

Pelicans are plentiful in this part of the world. Am still slightly amazed that they ever get off the ground

 

 

Marsh birds can be tricky to identify, but we are pretty sure that this fella is a black winged stilt

 

 

This is a common tern

 

 

But the big prize for the day was left until last. Between Sale and Bairnsdale we could see a pair of wedge tailed eagles, circling up high. On one occasion they dropped to allow us to get a half decent photo. There is no doubting what this bird is from its tail. It was huge.

 

 

 

 

 

Sale common and flooding creek

We enjoyed a great walk from the port of Sale around the flood creek. There are lots of swans, ducks and swamp hens, including this cute chick who has yet to grow into his claws

There were large numbers of wrens and other small ground birds but my camera skills are not quite up to scratch just yet. But I was pleased with this photo of a new Holland honeyeater, of which there were many in the right bushes

Jack Smith lake game reserve 15 Dec 2016

We took a holiday in Eastern Gippsland in Dec 2016. In another sign of impending aging it was based around bird watching sites. I would like to acknowledge Ben Cruachan for his tips on birdying sites in the area.

Our first stop off point was Jack Smith game reserve, a duck shooting site in season, but thankfully we were out of season. There is a rough dirt road down to a series of freshwater lakes close to 90 mile beach. On the way we met a blue tongue lizard.

At the far end of the dirt road we hit the aptly named 90 mile beach. Just inland was a waterway filled with waders including red capped plovers, the photo below showing both male and female.

 

And a new spot for us was the red necked avocet

 

 

A bush walk later on revealed some more new birds for us, including a golden headed cisticola

 

 

 

And a few we have seen before, such as a brush cuckoo

 

 

and red browed finch

 

 

 

 

Wonthaggi Wetlands - mid Dec 2015

Pardelotes are just stunning birds. And were lucky enough to find a spotted pardelote who stayed still enough for me to get a few decent shots.

Its a wonderful walk down to the wetland waterhole. Heaps of birds there, but probably more species on the walk to the water. Two more today were a silver eye...

...and white naped honeyeater

Cape Paterson kangaroos - Dec 2015

I don't think we will ever tire of seeing kangaroos in the wild. One of our favourite spots is the eco village, nowadays called The Cape, at the Western end of Cape Paterson. At dusk we can be found on the bench with a cold beer in hand, plus binoculars and the camera, watching the sun set and the roos come out to feed. Magic.

Bald Hills Nov 2015

We returned to one of our favourite wildlife spots for a second time, Bald Hills nature reserve in Gippsland. It late Nov, hot weather and we saw different species as a result.

The find of the day were a pair of shameless echidnas, who really didn't seem bothered about us

 

We saw lots of birds by the main water hole but the rest of very dry. The best shots were of a quite common bird, the Eastern Yellow Robin. First then adult:-

and then a juvenile, which looks very different

 

Blackbird nest in the lemon tree at Cape Paterson

I know, I know, blackbirds are a pest....but the nest, eggs and chicks are very cute. In late November we found a next in the lemon tree at Cape Paterson. The first egg laid is shown above, but it was soon joined by three others, and they hatched at different times

We were unsure if the chicks would make it, as they huddled in the bottom of the next without much activity

Getting bigger...

...until the parents were on 24 hour worm watch, constantly ferrying food into the nest

The fact there are only three beaks popping out suggests that maybe one of the chicks didn't make it. But hopefully the other three will grow to become healthy adults.

These photos were all taken on an iPhone6